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Before Alan Ritchson became a household name as Jack Reacher in Prime Video‘s hit series Reacher, he feared he’d be fired from the comedy sitcom Blue Mountain State. Ritchson played the loud-mouthed linebacker Kevin “Thad” Castle in the series. In a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ritchson revealed that during the early days of the series, he believed his time on the show would be short-lived. Ritchson said,

I’m not sure my character was ever supposed to grow on the show. I think he was supposed to be an antagonistic character for a season. So I felt like my job was in jeopardy every day.

Desperate to stay relevant, Ritchson brought maximum energy to every scene, sometimes too much for his co-stars. He used to steal every scene and fill every frame, even doing a wild Michael Jackson dance in the background. He recalled,

I would get yelled at all the time,...

I don't care what anybody says, the first two seasons of Elizabeth Meriwether's "New Girl" should be in the pantheon of the funniest sitcoms about roommates. I never thought the concept of three (and at times four) weirdo dudes living with a silly-girly chick could be as hilarious and bonkers as seen in Fox's TV series. It's a shame the show couldn't maintain that initial freshness and goofiness throughout its 7-season run, eventually turning into an insufferable, painfully unfunny, and mawkish mess in its last three seasons — at least for me, and I was a huge fan!

But seasons 3 and 4 are still plenty of fun — even if not on the same level as the previous two — and have their amusing highlights I can never get tired of. One of those is season 4's fourth episode, "Micro," which brings us to the very reason you clicked on this article.

The...

Slashers and sleepover camps are the spaghetti and meatballs of horror cinema. Counselors told campfire legends even before Friday the 13th, their faces ghoulishly illuminated by a dim-wattage flashlight. Daniel DelPurgatorio's Marshmallow follows in the footsteps of every overnight retreat nightmare … until it doesn't. A film titled after the soft and squishy treats that bind s'mores evokes comfort, but quite impressively, after establishing normalcy as a ruse, DelPurgatorio pivots from sweet familiarity. It takes some patience to outlast the film's more mediocre beginnings, yet unlike other stories that paddle in place without going anywhere, Marshmallow lands a payoff you'll be buzzing about for a while.

Screenwriter Andy Greskoviak uses typical coming-of-age blueprints to establish Camp Almar, a bunks-and-bugs escape from civilization where children of different ages spend their summertime breaks. We follow Morgan (Kue Lawrence), a timid, screen-watching boy who is still getting over the unexpected death of his...

Alan Ritchson tells the amusing story of how he scored a role onNew Girlas a man with a micro-penis. The Reacher star is as huge as can be right now, both in terms of physical bulk, and when it comes to his acting career. But there was a time before Ritchson was quite so big, when he was willing to take on just about any job, including a small part in a sitcom playing a man with an unfortunate condition.

Ritchson’s New Girl season 4 guest spot as Jess’s poorly-endowed paramour gave the future action hero a memorable early-ish role, and as it happens, the story behind how he got the role is itself memorable, as he recalled during a recent appearance. Ritchson begins his story by recounting the time he was trying his hand as a screenwriter and needed a nocturnal pick-me-up (via Wired):

Oh my god,...

One of the funniest comedies of the 2000s will soon become available to watch for free as fans await its long-gestating film adaptation. The award-winning sitcom, Community, lands an imminent streaming debut on Tubi.

Tubi confirmed that Community will begin streaming on its free-of-charge service on Mar. 1. This is good news for fans of the hit series who aren't Peacock subscribers as the show has been available on the NBCUniversal streamer since last April. Also, it allows Tubi's growing viewership base to see the sitcom, considering over 97 million active users were on the Fox Corporation-owned service in 2024.

RelatedAlison Brie & Dave Franco's Body Horror Film Sells to Neon After Debuting at Sundance With 100% Rt Score

Dave Franco and Alison Brie's new body horror film is a Sundance breakout hit with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.

Running for six seasons between 2009 and 2015, Community is set in the fictional Colorado town...

A beloved comedy franchise that began in 2001 gets a promising update for its future. The 2000s was a strong era for comedies, with the independent film movement of the 1990s paving the way for pioneers of the genre. Movies like American Pie and The Big Lebowski, as well as TV shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, set up the end of the '90s and start of the '00s with comedy on a strong footing. Filmmakers were getting bolder and more unique with their comedic choices, with comedies becoming stranger, quirkier, and more unusual.

Several low-budget comedy movies produced in the 2000s found a strong audience, with many becoming cult classics, and some even developing into franchises. Some of the most popular comedy franchises of the 2000s included Meet the Parents, Scary Movie, and The Hangover, as audiences flocked to theaters to enjoy the humor and quirkiness that they brought.

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At long last, it seems like Broken Lizard is getting the gang back together for another round of cop-related shenanigans. That's right! After much discussion in recent years, it seems that "Super Troopers 3" is coming together. While a formal announcement hasn't been made, writer/director Jay Chandrasekhar has revealed that the project is in active discussions at Disney and appears to be close to getting approval. In short, unless something derails it, it's happening.

During a recent appearance on the "Holmberg's Morning Sickness" radio show, Chandrasekhar revealed that, despite Disney's $71.3 billion purchase of Fox in 2019, "Super Troopers 3" is still very much alive. It was previously revealed during San Diego Comic-Con in 2018 that the sequel will be titled "Winter Soldiers," and whether or not that's still the case remains to be seen. But Chandrasekhar did provide a promising update on the...

American Film Convention (AFC) organisers have announced further details of the 40-strong panel programme at the inaugural event scheduled for October 15-17 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Distribution expert Peter Broderick of Paradigm Consulting will kick off the AFC Talks sessions at Magic Box on October 15 with the keynote, Supercharge Your Distribution!

That day’s sessions will include an examination of the exhibition space featuring Neil Williams from event cinema company Gathr and Christie Marchese from social cinema platform Kinema, alongside Peter Ambrosio of arthouse chain Lumiere and Evan Saxon of distribution, marketing and rights management specialist Abramorama.

Filmmaker Keith Ochwat...

The Super Troopers gang is back on the road – well, actually it’s a distillery, with the original lawmen getting back together to promote WhistlePig’s maple syrup in a throwback to one of the great scenes in the 2001 Broken Lizard comedy.

In the ad, we see Super Trooper star Erik Stolhanske (Trooper “Rabbit”) slugging a bottle of WhistlePig barrel-aged maple syrup, to which Steve Lemme (Trooper “Mac”) coaching him to relax and open his jaw, further prompting Jay Chandrasekhar (Lieutenant “Thorny”) to tell him, “You’re doing it wrong.” Rabbit’s reply? “What are you talking about? Chugging maple syrup’s kind of our thing!”

But for such maple syrup, chugging is forbidden from the Super Troopers boys and pretty much anyone else who tries to set their lips on the bottle. After all, it is Vermont’s finest…Cue Paul Soter (Trooper Foster) and Kevin Heffernan (Trooper Farva) at the bar,...

The famous Super Troopers biker scene was a hilarious accident caused by a wardrobe mistake. Foster and Ursula's miscommunication about their disguises as "bikers" leads to a funny moment in the restaurant. The accidental scene captures the slapdash, have-fun-with-it attitude of the state trooper characters.

The famous Super Troopers biker scene has a backstory that makes the sequence even funnier in retrospect. The Broken Lizard comedy group consisting of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske co-wrote Super Troopers with Chandrasekhar directing. The film follows a Vermont state troopers' patrol filled with officers who would rather pull pranks and mess around than do their jobs. Super Troopers is a beloved cult classic movie from the Broken Lizard crew, and fans were surprised with a sequel, Super Troopers 2, in 2018, and a third Super Troopers movie in development.

Super Troopers is a highly quotable, wacky, and fresh production that,...

You probably cringe at the thought of hearing about a movie from a group of comedians coming out with a slasher film, right? Well, let me just say that horror comedies weren’t typically prevalent back when horror had the Carpenters, Cravens, Romeros, and Cronenbergs slashing about in Hollywood. Everything was serious in tone and brought the stuff made of nightmares. You had your infamous slasher icons like Michael, Freddy, Jason, and even Chucky. You also had horror movie monsters like The Thing, The Great White Shark from Jaws, Brundlefly, Godzilla, and even Tremors. But then, as we entered a new millennium, Horror started to ease up on the tension and seriousness, in exchange for some quick wit and laughs. Horror brought in a new style into its genre with comedic undertones which was a great opening for some new films in the pipeline to help branch horror into unfamiliar territory.

The stars of The Dukes of Hazzard haven't shut the door on the television series getting rebooted.

Originally airing for seven seasons on CBS between 1979 and 1985, The Dukes of Hazzard followed the Duke family, which included cousins Bo (John Schneider), Luke (Tom Wopat), and Daisy (Catherine Bach). All three reunited with fellow cast members Byron Cherry (Coy Duke), Jeff Altman (Hughie Hogg), and Rick Hurst (Deputy Cletus Hogg) for a recent appearance at Gallatin Comic-Con in Tennessee. Per Fox, Bach addressed how much love the cast members still have for one another, adding that a potential reboot or even a reunion special is possible.

10 '80s Action Films That Need a Reboot

The Dukes of Hazzard stars Catherine Bach, John Schneider, Tom Wopat, Byron Cherry, Jeff Altman, and Rick Hurst reunited this weekend at the 2023 Gallatin Comic Con in Gallatin, Tn.#weretalkingcountry #dukesofhazzard #GallatinComicCon #CatherineBach #JohnSchneider #TomWopat pic.twitter.com...

With the prankster police officers having returned five years ago, Brian Cox shares his thoughts on a potential Super Troopers 3 return. Created by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, the Super Troopers movies revolve around a mischievous group of Vermont Highway Patrol officers as they frequently find their jobs in jeopardy thanks to their comedic antics. With two movies spread across 17 years, the franchise has garnered mixed critical reviews, but modest box office returns and large cult followings.

While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant for the family drama Prisoner's Daughter, Brian Cox was asked about the chances of a Super Troopers 3 return. Though not sharing whether he's been approached just yet, the star did express his interest in coming back for a trilogy capper on the one condition of avoiding any night shoots, as well as pitching a new scene between him and Lynda Carter. See what Cox shared below:

Oh yeah,...

Now that Quasi is finally out, it’s time to put it in the place it deserves: Side by side with some of cinema’s most acclaimed films. Or at least this is what the featurette that Searchlight Entertainment has exclusively shared with Collider suggests. The featurette equates Broken Lizard’s comedy gold with cinema pearls, and we can now unveil the hilarious video to you.

Broken Lizard is back with a historical epic. Okay, perhaps it’s not quite historical or epic. Yet Quasi put a smile on my face for its entire run time. The latest from Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Erik Stolhanske, and Paul Soter is a charmer. Yes, it’s crude and very silly, and I genuinely enjoyed seeing these fellas go the cosplay route. It also helps that they were smart enough to cast the lovely and talented Adrianne Palicki as their Queen. And if you’d like to check this one out, you can watch it right now, over on Hulu.

Speaking with Adrianne Palicki is always a good time. I recently sat down on Zoom to talk about her latest, and she was happy to chat about working with the guys. She opened up about connecting with comedy and getting the chance to improv along with her co-stars.

Though audiences waited over 15 years for the first sequel, a new Super Troopers 3 update could see the next movie coming even sooner. The comedy franchise first launched with 2001's Super Troopers revolving around a group of pranskter Vermont state troopers who tried to solve a murder in order to save their station from being shut down. A modest box office hit, the film became a cult classic on home media, leading to crowdsourcing helping Super Troopers 2 getting off the ground in 2015 and hitting theaters in 2018.

While speaking with ComicBook.com to discuss their latest comedic venture, the Hulu-released Quasi, comedy troupe Broken Lizard offered an exciting Super Troopers 3 update. The creators and stars confirmed that they are heavily invested in the development of the third installment, being deep in the writing of the next movie and teasing filming could even begin later this year. See what Broken Lizard said...

In most versions of the classic 1831 Victor Hugo tale, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the female protagonist is Esmeralda, a French Romani girl who is so beautiful that every major male character in the story either wants to marry her or seduce her. (She’s also only 16 in the novel—a book from over 200 years ago). For all her kindness and compassion, Esmeralda is basically treated terribly throughout the story and finally ends up hanged for a crime she didn’t commit, just as she reunites with her long-lost birth mother.

Quasi, a satirical new take on the story from the Broken Lizard crew (Super Troopers), has a decidedly different view of its female lead. Directed by Broken Lizard’s Kevin Heffernan and written by him and the rest of the team—Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske—the film dispenses with the tragic Esmeralda in favor of...

"Quasi" (as in 'Quasimodo') is a new satirical comedy feature, based on the 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", written, directed and starring Kevin Heffernan, with 'Broken Lizard' writer/actors Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, plus Adrianne Palicki, streaming April 20, 2023 on Hulu:

"...a hapless hunchback yearns for love....

"...but finds himself in the middle of a feud between the 'Pope' and the 'King of France'...

"...when each orders the hunchback to kill the other..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Broken Lizard, the five-man comedy troupe which formed in 1990 at a fraternity on the upstate New York campus of preppy Colgate University, have been stoner icons since the very first scene of their 2001 breakout hit “Super Troopers.” That’s when Jay Chandrasekhar’s mustachioed Vermont cop Lieutenant Arcot “Thorny” Ramathorn pulls over a car full of potheads and proceeds to terrorize and freak them out.

Like they did in 2018 with “Super Troopers 2,” their newest film, “Quasi,” a reimagining of Victor Hugo’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” is a no-holds-barred, scatological combination of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” crossed with Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” It premieres today — April 20 — as a Hulu Original through Fox Searchlight.

Boasting their own cannabis brand, Smokin’ Lizard, Chandrasekhar notes, “When we get high with friends like Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg, they take it seriously enough to try to smoke us...

The gang from Super Troopers is back and as raunchy as ever in their newest comedy, Quasi. Director, co-star, and co-writer Kevin Heffernan plays multiple roles on and off camera and does so effectively. This medieval farce sports all the faces fans love and plenty of contemporary jokes for newcomers. The addition of Agents of Sh.I.E.L.D.'s Adrianne Palicki is very welcome, and she seamlessly fits into the long-time comedy troupe, Broken Lizard. The jokes in Quasi are solid, but can sometimes be relentless in their need to bring the Super Troopers dialogue to medieval times. While Quasi isn't the most amazing comedy, the fantastic cast is enough to maintain viewers' enjoyment in an otherwise entertaining film.

In medieval France, Quasimodo (Steve Lemme) and his pal Duchamp (Kevin Heffernan) are everyday folks who just want to torture in peace. Their narcissistic king (Jay Chandrasekhar) holds a lottery to see...

Whenever people whine about movies that "couldn't be made today," they're usually referring to comedy films with a grossly outdated sense of humor or storylines that are blatantly discriminatory. Seldom are they referring to the truly ridiculous swings of comedy films made from the 1970s-1990s, a style that has mostly dissolved into our collective memories and only reappears when some brave soul makes an absurd laugh riot like "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar."

The sad result of every blockbuster franchise slowly attempting to push us into a nostalgia-mad monoculture has been a lack of weirdo cinema. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of folks out there making unique films, but they're typically released independently and without the marketing budget or publicity they deserve. This makes greenlighting offbeat comedies a risky move for studios and denies audiences fresh, experimental comedy adventures. The Broken Lizard comedy troupe...

A colleague of mine, Marc Edward Heuck, once compared the films of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe to 7-Eleven hot dogs. The comparison was meant to be favorable. In both cases, the thinking went, the artisans in question know full well that they are not offering haute cuisine. Instead, the consumer is getting something efficiently constructed, barely flavorful enough, and perfect for a night when the edibles hit a little harder than expected. Broken Lizard's films have never elevated beyond the realm of raunchy, frat boy-style chuckle-fests, but have possessed just enough zingers, oddball gags, and precision-strike profanity to entrench themselves in the friendly cult trench inside the human brain. They possess an affable, thrown-off quality that makes them weirdly appealing, even as the jokes periodically fall flat.

Their newest film, "Quasi," directed by Kevin Heffernan, and written by the entire troupe is a "Carry On"-style sendup of Victor Hugo...

Not to be confused with an adaptation of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” comedy troupe Broken Lizard’s “Quasi” tells a story that’s truer to the Oxford definition of its title than the 1831 Victor Hugo novel that inspired it. Kevin Heffernan settles uneasily into the director’s seat usually occupied by colleague Jay Chandrasekhar for an underdog story more interested in leveraging funny pronunciations of French words for underwhelming laughs than in creating real characters — much less a visual backdrop that doesn’t look like a second-rate Renaissance Faire.

Set in a 13th Century France that narrator and sometime Broken Lizard collaborator Brian Cox helpfully informs us “sucked,” the film centers on Quasimodo (Steve Lemme), a social outcast who works in the torture chambers of King Guy (Chandrasekhar). There, in a search for a cure to his own physical deformity, he develops the hottest, most pain-inducing device on the market,...

The fellas behind Broken Lizard have been bringing the funny for awhile now. From the cult favorite Super Troopers to Club Dread, the comedy troupe continue to bring a bit of joy to fans. You could even find Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme taking on the small screen with the terrific comedy, Tacoma Fd over at TruTV. Yet with their latest, Quasi, they take the sweetness up a notch, and still manage to make you smile. Yes, it’s great to see Kevin, Steve, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, and Jay Chandrasekhar back for another flick together. And they are joined by the terrific Adrianne Palicki. It’s truly a laugh and smile inducing good time.

Recently, I spoke with the crew. For Kevin, Steve, Paul, Erik, and Jay, they talked about how long it took to make Quasi. As well, they revealed who played what, and how they would...

Twenty-five years ago, before they made their seminal cop comedy "Super Troopers," comedy troupe Broken Lizard were tossing around ideas based on a character who was a lovable loser who managed to become a hero. Fast-forward to today, and those ideas have solidified in the form of "Quasi," a satirical take on "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" that traps hunchback Quasimodo (Steve Lemme) in a battle between the King of France (Jay Chandrasekhar) and the Pope (Paul Soter). If you ever wanted to see the guys behind "Beerfest" and "Club Dread" tackle medieval history with their unique brand of sweet stoner humor, then "Quasi" is the flick for you, and it's hitting Hulu on April 20, 2023, just in time for the holiest of pot-smoking holidays. 

I had the chance to chat with Broken Lizard and ask them all about this cinematic adventure 25 years in the making. They shared the highs and lows of playing multiple roles,...

The Hunchback of Notre Dame gets an R-rated twist in the official trailer for Quasi, the latest film from the comedy group, Broken Lizard. Since releasing their first full-length production back in 1996, members Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske have created and starred in many projects, including Super Troopers and its 2018 sequel. Quasi was announced in 2021, with Heffernan attached as director, and will follow its titular character as he becomes involved in "a murderous feud" between the King of France and the Pope.

Hulu recently dropped the first official trailer for Quasi, which provides a look at the troupe's unique take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, set to premiere on April 20.

The footage features a lot of funny moments, highlighting Broken Lizard's humor, and reveals more about the story, in which "Quasi" wins a lottery that allows him to meet with the Pope.

Brian Cox is high on life.

The “Succession” star allegedly gave Broken Lizard, the team behind “Super Troopers,” edibles during the 2018 sequel. Cox played Captain O’Hagan in the cop spoof movies.

“Oh, Coxy. What we tried to do in our early movies was bring someone into the cast that has some gravitas. We were making a $1 million movie and we didn’t have anybody, and Cox came through,” Kevin Heffernan of Broken Lizard told Vulture in an oral history of the first 2001 movie.

Heffernan continued, “At heart, the guy’s a comic. When you watch ‘Succession’ now and all that kind of stuff, you wouldn’t expect that. But he’s a big Jerry Lewis fan, he loves comedies, and he really wanted to do one, so he decided to come slum it with us. Here was a guy who’s a real fucking actor—and he would remind us about that.

While Super Troopers 3: Winter Soldiers may still be in the far distant future, the brains at Broken Lizard have finally dropped a trailer for their upcoming satirical comedy, Quasi. Teaming up with Searchlight Pictures, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhankske are giving audiences a look at what’s to come in their hysterical take on a classic tale.

The Broken Lizard comedy troupe returns as they follow in the footsteps of Mel Brooks and Monty Python with a period satire based in medieval France. The trailer for the new Hulu comedy, Quasi, has just dropped from Searchlight Pictures. The troupe, who is known for their past outings, including Super Troopers, Beerfest, and The Slammin’ Salmon, now takes on a satirical look at the famous story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The official synopsis reads,

A hapless hunchback yearns for love, but finds himself in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and the king of France when each orders the hunchback to kill the other.

This film was written by the Broken Lizard crew and is directed by Kevin Heffernan. The comedy is produced by Richard Perello and comes from Searchlight Pictures for a release on Hulu courtesy of their distributing partnership. Quasi stars Jay Chandrasekhar,...

The "Monty Python" film series is something of a legend in and of itself. The franchise is utterly beloved by comedy enthusiasts, and though we've had a lot of great comedic groups come together to make films since — The Lonely Island, anyone? — none have had quite the same spark as those English comics. That said, we may finally get our generation's answer to "Monty Python's The Holy Grail" in "Quasi," a new Hulu comedy that centers on a satirical look at Quasimodo, aka the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In the film's trailer, we meet Quasi, a hunchback who wins the papal lottery in his village and gets to have his confessions heard by the visiting Pope — a prospect that is seemingly positioned as a way for him to turn his life around with a stroke of a miracle he never expected. Considering this is a comedy from the team that made "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest,...

As explained on their website, Broken Lizard is a five-person comedy filmmaking group “devoted to intense sunshine, Floridian deep tissue massage, and the advanced study of keeping it realism.” The quintet is most famous for “Super Troopers” but has also made comedies like “Beerfest,” “Club Dread,” “The Slammin’ Salmon,” and “Puddle Cruiser.”

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

After returning for “Super Troopers 2” in 2018, the group—which comprises director Jay Chandrasekhar and writer/actors Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske— have returned once more for a new hunchback-in-love comedy called “Quasi.”

This new one features the same gang, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar, and Erik Stolhanske, but also adds Adrianne Palicki as the damsel of the picture set in medieval times.

Continue reading ‘Quasi’ Trailer: The Broken Lizard Gang Return For A Comedy About A Hunchback That Yearns For Love at The Playlist.

"In a tale of love, betrayal, and scandal – everyone plays a part, or two." Hulu has revealed the official trailer for Quasi, the latest Broken Lizard comedy created by all five members of the troupe. Produced by Searchlight Pictures, they're dropping this direct to streaming, skipping theaters - but it should be good to grab a bunch of friends for a fun night to watch anyway. Quasi is the story of a hapless hunchback who only yearns for love, who then finds himself in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and the King of France when each orders the hunchback to kill the other. The satirical take on Victor Hugo's classic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame will debut on their usual stoner day, 4/20, next month. The film stars Bl's: Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme (as Quasi), Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske, along with Adrianne Palicki and Michael Yurchak.

Ken Cheng — the writer behind comedy Easter Sunday — is reteaming with Amblin Partners on an original comedy called Princes. The feature pitch is described as a “cross-cultural buddy comedy.”

Amblin and Cheng previously worked together on Universal and Rideback’s Easter Sunday, which starred comedian Jo Koy as a man returning home to celebrate Easter with his overbearing family. The feature debuted theatrically in August and was from filmmaker Jay Chandrasekhar.

Upcoming for Cheng is The Great Chinese Art Heist, a Warner Bros. project based on a GQ magazine article of the same name. Condé Nast is set to produce and Jon M. Chu is attached to direct. He is also producing and writing a feature adaptation of the New York magazine article “Chateau Sucker” for Bound Entertainment.

Cheng — who is a co-founder of the production company and creative incubator Crab Club, alongside Jessica Gao and Jimmy O. Yang — is...

While speaking with Screen Rant about his upcoming science fiction dramatic comedy film Linoleum, comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan revealed the challenge - or lack thereof - behind his iconic appearance in the 2001 comedy Super Troopers. Largely considered one of the highlights of the cult classic comedy film, Gaffigan's cameo was popular enough to warrant his return in 2018's Super Troopers 2. Ultimately, the scene in which Gaffigan appeared became arguably the single most enduring moment from the first Super Troopers, and has followed the actor around to this day.

The scene in question is of course Super Troopers' iconic 'Cat Game', in which the officers pull someone over and see how many times they can sneak the word 'meow' into their procedural routine. While surprisingly innocuous for an R-rated comedy like Super Troopers, The Cat Game is relatable to anyone who has been fed up with or sick of a job,...

On the heels of crowning the class of 2023, Variety is marking 25 years of keeping a keen eye on the next generation of filmmakers with its annual 10 Directors to Watch franchise.

Over the past quarter-century, the editorial initiative has cast an important career spotlight on such future boldface-name directors as Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Nolan, Ava DuVernay, Wes Anderson, Chloé Zhao, Barry Jenkins, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Steve McQueen, Taika Waititi, Kasi Lemmons, Michael Winterbottom, Sarah Polley, Catherine Hardwicke, Lulu Wang, Jay Chandrasekhar, David Gordon Green and Fernando Meirelles.

The scouting for 10 Directors to Watch goes on all year among Variety‘s editorial staff. The series was birthed in January 1997 by veteran Variety editor Steven Gaydos, executive VP of global content and leader of the Focus features department. The goal is to identify hot helmers before they pick up any significant hardware — aka major award wins, Gaydos said.

Variety‘s Steven Gaydos

“We look for a distinctive voice,...

Searchlight has revealed the release date for “Quasi,” the “Hunchback of Notre Dame” satire film from the team behind the “Super Troopers” franchise.

The film will stream on April 20, 2023, as a Hulu Original in the U.S. It will be available on Star+ in Latin American territories and on Disney+ in all others.

Also Read:

The 25 Best New Movies to Stream in November 2022

According to the official synopsis, “Quasi” will follow “a hapless hunchback only yearns for love, but finds himself in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and the King of France when each orders the hunchback to kill the other.”

Broken Lizard’s Kevin Heffernan is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske, who also make up the cast and serve as executive producers. Adrianne Palicki also stars. Their “Super Troopers” collaborator Richard Perello is a producer.

Searchlight Pictures has set the release date for Broken Lizard’s Quasi, a satirical take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The film will be available to stream starting April 20, 2023, on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories.

Quasi stars Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske and Adrianne Palicki. Heffernan serves as director and penned the script alongside Lemme, Chandrasekhar, Soter and Stolhanske.

Quasi is the story of a hapless hunchback who only yearns for love, but finds himself in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and the King of France when each orders the hunchback to kill the other.

Heffernan and Chandrasekhar are represented by UTA, Lemme by CAA, Soter by Echo Lake Entertainment and Stolhanske by Csp Management. Palicki is repped by WME.

Stars: Jo Koy, Lydia Gaston, Brandon Wardell, Eva Noblezada, Carly Pope | Written by Kate Angelo, Ken Cheng | Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

A man returns home for an Easter celebration with his riotous, bickering, eating, drinking, laughing, loving family, in this love letter to the Filipino-American community.

Jay Chandrasekhar‘s Easter Sunday is definitely a promising step forward when it comes to significant diversity in the film industry, but that’s almost everything it has going for it. This is an extremely slow-paced and outrageously unfunny comedy that fails at its number one goal – making audiences laugh.

This is a film that prides itself on being an incredibly upbeat, feel-good comedy that’ll inspire you to be closer to your family and love one another. Maybe some viewers will leave the theatre feeling more appreciation for their loved ones, but more than likely, most audiences are just going to leave the...

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When Easter Sunday writer Ken Cheng recalls how the Universal film got to the big screen, the story feels oddly similar to the movie itself: celebrity cameos, narrative turns and lots of food.

“The movie’s origin story starts at a very Asian place — around food. Jo Koy and Dan Lin, the primary producer on the movie, just randomly met at a sushi bar, struck up a conversation and decided they would love to work together,” Cheng tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Sort of simultaneous to that, Steven Spielberg while on break from shooting West Side Story, is just hanging out in his trailer and turns on Jo Koy’s Netflix comedy special and falls in love with it.”

The screenwriter says that soon after, Spielberg emailed the entire Amblin partners and family entertainment staff, expressing his desire to work with Koy, resulting in a meeting between the three.

August is the month when schools reopen and the doldrums of September loom; the further we go into the August, the smaller the box office becomes. Even so, it usually brings in about two-thirds of July, which is often the biggest month of the year. So when “Bullet Train” (Sony) opens to 30 million domestic, it’s cause for concern — especially since the next film with similar potential is likely Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Black Adam,” which opens October 21.

“Bullet Train,” budgeted at 90 million pre-marketing, will need a strong multiple to support profitability as well as exhibitors’ hopes; otherwise, this month will likely be the lowest grosser since March. After that bottoming out we’ve seen grosses increase to the point that July achieved 90 percent of the 2019 take. The hope is August openings show signs of lingering momentum.

Next weekend, we’ll know if that’s the case for “Bullet Train.

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David Leitch’s Bullet Train easily topped the North American box office chart with an estimated weekend haul of 30.1 million, including a Friday haul of 12.6 million.

Overseas, the R-rated pic earned an impressive 32.4 million for a global start of 62.4 million.

Brad Pitt leads a star-packed cast in this tale of an assassin roaming a high-speed Japanese bullet train. Other names on the marquee include Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon and Sandra Bullock.

The movie opened in line with expectations following an aggressive marketing campaign on Sony’s part. Critics haven’t exactly embraced Bullet Train, which currently holds a 53 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences bestowed the film with a B+ CinemaScore.

Bullet Train is the last major studio offering of the summer, putting increased pressure on the movie’s performance. Generally, the summer...

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Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Bullet Train, Easter Sunday, Prey and A League of Their Own.

Bullet Train Los Angeles premiere

Sony’s Bullet Train stopped in Los Angeles on Monday, where stars Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Bad Bunny), Zazie Beetz and Logan Lerman walked the red carpet.

Logan Lerman, Masi Oka, Hiroyuki Sanada, Brian Tyree Henry, Bad Bunny, Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Zazie Beetz, David Leitch, Kelly McCormick and Andrea Muñoz Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment Tony Vinciquerra and Brad Pitt

Easter Sunday premiere

Jo Koy debuted his family comedy Easter Sunday on Tuesday at the Tcl Chinese Theatre alongside costars Jimmy O. Yang and Tiffany Haddish, producer Dan Lin and director Jay Chandrasekhar.

Jo Koy as Joe Valencia in Easter Sunday, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar. Ed Araquel/Universal Pictures Though he was born in Washington state, Jo Koy is proud of his Filipino heritage. So, when he was approached about playing the lead in the movie Easter Sunday, Koy wanted to make sure that the film — which takes place amidst a Filipino family’s holiday reunion — wasn’t going to perpetuate any of the cultural stereotypes he’s seen in the past. He was delighted, he told us, to find that, while there are certainly some uniquely Filipino moments in the film, the writers and producers did a great job of making sure the laughs came from family situations, not ethnic jokes. (Click on the media bar below to hear Jo Koy) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Jo_-Koy_-Cleebrating-Cultire_Sillmilar_.mp3 Easter Sunday is now playing in theaters.

The post ‘Easter Sunday...

If anyone deserves a sitcom, it’s Jo Koy. The definition of a working comic, the stand-up comedian tours constantly, hits all the late-night shows, and pumps out special after special, selling out theaters all the while. And yet, Koy has never been able to break out of his (presumably quite lucrative) rut. All he needs is that one big crossover star vehicle, a la Amy Schumer (Trainwreck) or Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), right? Right??

That’s what Easter Sunday is clearly designed to be, and unfortunately, it doesn...

Sometimes the most satisfying journeys are the ones that require relentless grit, determination and drive. That’s certainly the case for Northern California native and acclaimed comedian, Jo Koy. The performer’s now sharing his talent of showcasing both the affection and laughter of his family and their Filipino-American community on screen, after his 30-year stand-up career, […]

The post Interview: Jay Chandrasekhar Talks Easter Sunday (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

(from left) Tito Manny (Joey Guila), Regina (Elena Juatco), Eugene (Eugene Cordero), Joe Valencia (Jo Koy), Tita Teresa (Tia Carrere), Tita Yvonne (Melody Butiu) and Susan (Lydia Gaston) in Easter Sunday, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar.

So, when’s the perfect time to release a big family comedy about a big family event that happens in the Spring? Why, the “dog days” of Summer, naturally. Or at least that’s the thinking behind this weekend’s answer to the big star-fueled “action-on-the-rails” blockbuster. But what was the question, again? Yeah, so when will another “stand-up” superstar branch into the movies (most go right to TV) with an “all ages” funny flick loosely based on his life, and his sell-out comedy concerts? Move over Amy Schumer, Pete Davidson, and Kevin Hart, here comes some competition with a unique, often spicy ethnic voice. So, strap in for one wild and raucous Easter Sunday.

Imagine the worst party you've ever been to. Now imagine that the party host pulls out a home movie that they've made with their friends — one full of inside jokes and gags that are funny to maybe three people — straps you down to your chair, and starts making you watch it "A Clockwork Orange"-style. That's the closest equivalent to watching "Easter Sunday" an excruciatingly unfunny vanity project for comedian Jo Koy and director Jay Chandrasekhar that might just be one of the worst movies of the year. But then again, what do you expect from a movie starring an irritating stand-up comic...

The post Easter Sunday Review: No Amount of Prayer Could Save This Movie appeared first on /Film.

One of the most successful stand-ups in the country with multiple Netflix specials to his name, Jo Koy has entertained millions with tales of his Filipino upbringing. He regales sold-out crowds with stories of his delightful, somewhat overbearing mother, unpacks the intricacies of Filipino food and lifestyle, and analyzes the differences between various Asian cultures.

Now, he has lent his perspective to “Easter Sunday,” a new comedy starring Koy as Joe Valencia, a version of himself, who returns to the Bay Area for the eponymous holiday to deal with his extended Filipino family. It’s the first major studio comedy about a Filipino-American family featuring a nearly-all Filipino cast, and was shepherded to the screen with the help of Steven Spielberg, an avowed fan of Koy’s, whose DreamWorks Pictures co-produced the film.

Billed as a “love letter to the Filipino-American community,” “Easter Sunday” certainly earns its bona fides for...

Jo Koy can be hilarious, riotously so at times. He has no trouble filling auditoriums with his spot-on standup act. Much of what makes him so funny are his observations about his Filipino American family: his aunts, his uncles, his cousins, his sisters and, most of all, his mom. Koy’s gift for deft comedy is too easily forgotten watching the well-intentioned but underwhelming “Easter Sunday,” his first starring vehicle.

Koy plays actor Joe Valencia. Living in Los Angeles, Joe is starting to feel he’s dancing on the razor’s edge between success or failure. He’s got an agent, portrayed by the movie’s director Jay Chandrasekhar. He’s got a beer commercial with a sticky tagline — “Let’s get this party started, baybay!” — that long ago became an albatross. Strangers in stores and family members quote it at him.

When we meet him, Joe has an important audition for a TV show,...

Inside the corny chaos of the going-back-home lark “Easter Sunday,” starring comedian Jo Koy, is the point that families are messy. Of course, one doesn’t need to belong to a big Filipino clan like the movie’s onscreen Valencias to grasp that, and it’s almost quaint how that message is articulated for us at the end as some fresh bit of wisdom when, since scene one, relatives in various states of bickering aggravation have been the comedy’s go-to note.

A more lasting takeaway from “Easter Sunday” about what’s messy has to do with vehicles for stand-ups trying to break into movies. Koy, who’s been packing arenas for years with his rabbity energy and humorous windows into family eccentricities and Filipino culture, seemed as natural a fit as any to get some of his act’s lasting characters into a movie. Steven Spielberg certainly thought so...